


Unplanned Miracles

by StarrySummers04



Category: Agent Carter (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: BAMF Edwin Jarvis, BAMF Peggy Carter, Episode: s01e07 SNAFU, Episode: s01e08 Valediction, F/M, Not Agent Carter (TV) Compliant, Post-Episode: s01e06 A Sin to Err, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:15:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25207570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarrySummers04/pseuds/StarrySummers04
Summary: After sleeping with Howard when she snuck him into the Griffith Hotel, Peggy finds out that she's pregnant - just as she is caught by the SSR.
Relationships: Peggy Carter/Howard Stark
Comments: 122
Kudos: 119





	1. Chapter 1

It was chaos, absolutely crazy to think that on top of everything she was currently going through, there was now this. She knew the SSR weren’t completely stupid, they were bound to figure it out eventually but she managed to be one step ahead of them for a while. Now, she was on the run from the SSR whilst expecting Howard Stark’s baby. She never should have given in when he stayed with her. But they were both lonely and Peggy appreciated someone who saw her as the agent she had been during the war, not someone that was around to fetch coffee and take lunch orders. Maybe that was her mistake. Trusting him in the first place.

Peggy felt nauseous, stood on the ledge but it was bad enough that a brick had fallen, she couldn’t risk throwing up, that would definitely gain the attention of whoever was on the ground. Thankfully, it didn’t take Angie terribly long to get rid of the agents in her room. “I knew you didn’t work for the phone company.” She smiled. Peggy smiled back before rushing to the bathroom and throwing up. “Is something wrong, English?” Angie checked.

“Apart from all the stress?” Peggy snarked.

“No need to be like that.” Angie mock frowned.

“If I tell you a secret, you can’t tell anyone else. Not even if you omit my name.” Peggy requested, it would be better if she kept it to herself but the need to share it with someone was too strong.

“Of course, English.” Angie promised.

“I’m expecting.” Peggy whispered, finally admitting it to herself for the first time since she’d realised she was late. 2 months in a row. And she had never been irregular. Obviously, she needed to go and see a doctor but the stigma alone was keeping her away. And then there was the fact that it was Howard’s.

“Oh.” Angie breathed. “What are you going to do? Is there anything I can do?”

“I don’t know.” Peggy admitted. “But I need to sort this out first.”

“Let me help. I’ll ask my brother if you can stay there for a bit. He lives out of Manhattan.” Angie offered. Normally, Peggy would be unwilling for the help, not wanting to drag anyone else into her mess but since the baby’s life was at risk. She had no choice. Yeah, it was unplanned and she wasn’t married, but this baby would be loved and cared for, no matter what. There was also the little fact of needing to get in touch with Howard to tell him. Peggy Carter wasn’t going to let him off the hook, that’s for sure. 

“Thank you, Angie.” Peggy accepted. Angie quickly slipped out of the room and went to use the phone to call her brother. It gave Peggy some time to think. She is very lucky that Angie reacted the way she has as most people would be disgusted and probably cast her out of their lives. Angie came rushing back in.

“Just got off the phone with my brother. He’s gonna drop a car off at the Dublin House for you. Should at least get you out of town for a while.” Angie explained.

“Thank you, Angie.” Peggy smiled.

“I also told my father to stuff secretary school. I belong on Broadway.” Angie beamed.

“After the performance I just saw, there’s no way you should be doing anything else. You’re an amazing actress.” Peggy praised.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Angie laughed. Peggy pulled her in for a tight hug.

“Well… I look forward to hearing what this is all about someday.” Angie said.

“Someday. Take care of yourself.” Peggy requested.

“You, too, English. And take care of that baby. I want to know my goddaughter is safe.” Angie insisted.

“It might not be a girl.” Peggy laughed.

“It is. I can sense it.” Angie smiled, pulling Peggy in for another hug. Peggy then quickly made her way across the room and slipped out into the hall.

“Peggy?” Dottie asked as she went down the hall. “Oh, Gosh, Peggy, you’re a sight for sore eyes. You know, there’s a bunch of scary men here looking for you?”

“Hi, Dottie. Sorry. I was just actually on my way out.” Peggy fake smiled. She really needed to leave as soon as possible and didn’t have time for this.

“Oh, well, sure, yeah. Will I see you at dinner tonight?” Dottie checked.

“Not tonight. I’ve made other arrangements.” Peggy fake smiled again.

“Oh, okay. Well, in that case, have a great night, Peg.” Dottie wished, pulling her in for a hug before pulling back and kissing her. Peggy was very confused and pulled away. Then she started feeling lightheaded.

“You’re wearing my brand.” She remarked in reference to the lipstick, no other reason she would be feeling like this after a kiss unless someone was wearing the sleep-inducing lipstick. She pulled Dottie’s sleeve up and saw the scars around the wrist, this was who she had been looking for and Dottie had been under her nose the whole time? The last thought Peggy had before she collapsed to the floor and passed out was that hopefully this didn’t harm the baby. Of course, she passed out and did not see Dottie pull out a knife. Thankfully, Thompson and Sousa found them before anything could happen. They handcuffed the Englishwoman and stood her up, Thompson led her away, somehow walking her even though she was mostly unconscious. Sousa took the other arm as she began to regain consciousness, although everything was fuzzy and blurry.

When they got to headquarters, she was more awake and wanted more than anything to ask someone to check if the baby was okay, but that wasn’t an option, the only person other than herself that knew was Angie. There was nothing Angie could do to help her now. She was walked to the Chief, still in handcuffs. “I can explain everything. All of it.” She tried. Dooley never said a word and Thompson pushed her away, leading her to the interrogation room. Thompson, Sousa and Dooley went in with her. They unlocked the handcuffs from around one of her wrists before sitting her down and connecting it to the table.

“This isn’t necessary.” Peggy insisted.

“You put three SSR agents in the hospital today, so, yeah, it is necessary.” Thompson insisted. Sousa placed the photo of her at the club and the button containing Steve’s blood on the table. God, she felt emotional looking at that button, stupid hormones.

“Don’t go easy on her just because she’s a girl.” Dooley instructed before leaving the room. Sousa and Thompson stayed.

“Let’s get started.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mainly dialogue from the episode but with random thoughts of Peggy's that occur throughout .

“You’re awfully quiet. I wouldn’t want to talk either, if I was in your shoes. We have photos of you at Spider Raymond’s club, a witness placing you in a truck full of nitramine, another witness who says you were at the boat where Stark hid all of his toys. Then there’s the dead bodies. Spider Raymond, Leet Brannis, Ray Krzeminski.” Sousa listed.

“You honestly think I killed Agent Krzeminski?” Peggy asked, incredulously. “I mourned him with the rest of you.”

“Yeah, I attended that performance.” Sousa responded.

“You’re unbelievable.” Peggy commented.

“That’s rich. That’s rich coming from you. I had your back for six months, while you were waiting to plant a knife in mine. What? You want to pretend we’re still friends? We’re pals? You want to talk? Talk about this.” Sousa ranted, he then picked up the Blitzkrieg Button and held it out to Peggy who had silent tears making their way down her cheeks. This wouldn’t usually happen but she was with child so hormones were bound to change things up.

“This is all very impressive, Agent Sousa. You’ve assembled a solid bit of evidence here. And I understand that you never get the chance to run this far with the ball, so you’re making the most of your opportunity. But you are wasting precious time.” Peggy fired back. “There is a trained killer out there, and she’s a small player in a bigger scheme. Someone else is pulling her strings.” 

“My brain is melting. I’m getting some coffee.” Sousa announced before leaving the room. Peggy sat there silently, hoping she wouldn’t have to reveal the baby, knowing that if Dooley sent in Agent Thompson, she would have no choice. Maybe she shouldn’t have fought when they came to arrest her yesterday, but what’s done is done and she can’t go back and change her actions. Peggy liked to think that if she could then she would never have been intimate with Howard but she couldn’t bring herself to regret what had happened that night.

When Sousa reentered the room, Thompson and Dooley were with him. “I’m confused.” Thompson began.

“I’m sick.” Sousa commented.

“I’m impressed.” Dooley added. “You’re good, Carter. Holy cow, you are good. I got a dozen guys in there wish they could play the game half as well as you.” Dooley then left the room, presumably going next door to observe through the two way mirror.

“I’m not playing a game. I never was.” Peggy insisted.

“Tell that to Krzeminski!” Sousa shouted before leaving the room and joining Dooley next door.

“You know, if you want to hit me, now’s your chance.” Peggy offered, hoping against hope that it wouldn’t come to that.

“I don’t want to do that, Carter. Something’s not right here. I saw what you did in Russia. What you did for that mission, what you did for me? You saved my life. This doesn’t add up.” Thompson rambled. Sousa reentered the room

“That’s because I had nothing to do with Krzeminski’s death, or the theft of Howard Stark’s inventions.” Peggy tried. Saying his name just made her want to rest a hand on the small bump that had already formed. Their precious baby. It was going to be obvious soon enough. She had to be 8 maybe 10 weeks along if not a bit more.

“Theft? Wow, he’s really got you wrapped around his finger, doesn’t he?” Sousa asked. _If only you knew._ Peggy thought. “I got to give it to him. He’s as good as they say.”

“As good as they say?” Peggy questioned.

“He got in so deep, he scrambled your brain.” Sousa claimed. Peggy wanted to laugh at the innuendo, if only the men here knew what had really happened between her and Howard.

“Howard Stark has never scrambled my mind!” Peggy seethed.

“Come off it, Carter. There’s no harm in admitting that he and you have a thing going on, or had. Because from the look of it, Stark’s hung you out to dry.” Thompson said, attempting to get something out of her. She knew Howard would be back at some point, they’d been through too much for him to abandon her now, although he didn’t yet know about the baby. He looked at the two way mirror before looking back at her. “Listen to me.You need to make a deal. Stark is the one we want. Just tell us about him. Save yourself.”

“The only thing I could possibly tell you about him is he is not the man you want. But the SSR is myopic when it comes to Howard Stark, which is why I have been conducting my own investigation.” Peggy tried. Dooley came back into the room.

“That’s not entirely true. Before Sousa sniffed you out, we were starting to explore other avenues.” Dooley began.

“Then by all means, let’s stroll down another avenue. What would you like to discuss?” Peggy asked, resisting the urge to roll her eyes..

“Give us something. Anything.” Thompson requested, holding up the Blitzkrieg Button. He handed it to Dooley. Peggy hated them touching that device. If only Dottie hadn’t stopped her from getting away.

“Tell me what you know about this.” Dooley demanded. “What? You don’t want to explain this? Fine. Let’s go a little further in the past. I want to talk about the Battle of Finow.”

“Very well, but you’ll be the one that’s doing all the talking, because I saw no action in Finow.” Peggy said.

“That worked out good for you. Because most of the people that served there are dead, except for a few of your Russian buddies.” Dooley shot back.

“You think you know me, but I’ve never been more than what each of you has created. To you, I’m the stray kitten, left on your doorstep to be protected. The secretary turned damsel in distress. The girl on the pedestal, transformed into some daft whore. You’re behaving like children. What’s worse, what’s far worse is that this is just shoddy police work. You were inches away from the woman that you want when you loaded me into your car. You should be looking for Dottie Underwood, who by now, I assume, has shed her alias.” Peggy explained. If only these men weren't so pigheaded, maybe they would understand how much women were capable of. She was going to lose her mind soon enough answering these questions.

“That deal I offered? It’s now off the table.” Thompson stated.

“That’s fine. I wasn’t going to take it.” Peggy smiled.

“Any minute, Dooley’s gonna pull me out of here and ask me to do something to you that I don’t want to do. Peggy, you’ve watched me on the other side of that glass. You know what I am capable of.” Thompson warned.

“And you know what I’m capable of.” Peggy threatened, knowing she would have to reveal the life of her unborn child to be granted protection. These men would hit a woman if it was necessary to get the information they needed but they would never hit an expectant mother.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to dedicate this chapter to Bibliophile07, Georgia, Jamie tapia, JuSt_AnOth3r_N3rd, HeroineGauddess and oldmoviewatcher

The next thing Peggy knew, she was being led from the interrogation room into the meeting room. “Agent Carter, are you alright? Have they harmed you?” Mr Jarvis asked.

“She’s fine.” Dooley insisted. “Now you’ve seen her. Can we get down to brass tacks?” Dooley asked.

“What is this man doing here?” Peggy asked.

“Pulling your fat out of the fryer, apparently.” Sousa commented.

“I’m afraid the charade is over, Agent Carter. Mr. Stark has decided to come clean.” Mr Jarvis stated.

“What’s that?” Thompson asked, looking at the briefcase on the table.

“Her boyfriend’s confession. He owns up to everything. Jobbing his own vault, selling explosives, the Roxxon implosion.” Dooley listed.

“Where’s the man himself?” Thompson asked.

“Uh… Somewhere over Greenland, scheduled to land in Teterboro at approximately 9pm this evening. His attorney’s have the signature page. It’ll be sent back to you as soon as you’ve agreed to his terms and Agent Carter and myself are free.” Mr Jarvis explained.

“Do I have a say in this matter?” Peggy checked.

“You’ve had plenty of chances to talk.” Dooley commented.

“So, do we have a deal?” Mr Jarvis asked.

“Not quite. As tempting as this arrangement is, I’m not stupid. Even if this is true, why would I give up Carter or you for a piece of paper?” Dooley questioned.

“Uh, a signed piece of paper.” Mr Jarvis corrected.

“No, she’s staying here. So are you. I want the signature page delivered. When Stark lands, we bring him here, have a garbage exchange. That’s the deal.” Dooley announced.

“It would appear so.” Mr Jarvis agreed, shaking hands with Dooley.

“And for the record, I find you repulsive.” Dooley told Mr Jarvis. He then turned to Thompson “Take off the cuffs.”

“Howard can’t do this. I’ll never clear his name if he turns up…” Peggy began.

“You’re not clearing anybody. You’re done.” Dooley told her.

“I don’t think you’ve understood our compromise regarding Agent Carter.” Mr Jarvis tried.

“Oh, she’s free from prosecution. When Stark walks into the building, she walks out, for good. Carter, you’re out of the SSR.” Dooley exclaimed. Everyone turned to look at Peggy who was silently crying again. She then grabbed a box and went to clear her desk.

* * *

“Didn’t take you long to clean out your desk.” Mr Jarvis remarked. “Your personal belongings? Two notebooks and a file.”

“This one belongs to the agency, actually.” She corrected.

“I am truly sorry about all of this. When you didn’t meet me, I knew the worst had happened and I panicked.” Mr Jarvis apologised.

“And I suppose the confession portrays me as what? A patsy? A doe-eyed idiot succumbed to the charms of America’s mustachioed Casanova?” Peggy asked.

“This is the gist, yes. With a bankruptcy side plot sprinkled on top to provide a motive for Mr Stark’s deeds.” Mr Jarvis agreed.

“Nice flourish.”

“I figured you would prefer that to the truth.” Mr Jarvis commented.

“The truth?” Peggy asked. What could he possibly be talking about?

"Do you think I am completely unaware of your condition, Miss Carter? I can assure you that I am not. I am also aware as to just who left you in this position." Mr Jarvis replied.

"When we're in a much better situation than this, we are going to have a conversation about exactly how you know about this." Peggy stated.

“I hope you’ll forgive me one day.” Mr Jarvis frowned.

“There’s nothing to forgive.” Peggy smiled, gently.

“You panicked and called for backup. It wasn’t your line, and you were trying to help me. And Howard stepping up to this confession… I wouldn’t have thought he had the nobility in him.” Peggy commented.

“Yes… About that confession…” Mr Jarvis whispered.

“Did Howard write that confession, Mr Jarvis?” Peggy checked.

“He did not.” Mr Jarvis admitted.

“Did you… write that confession, Mr Jarvis?” 

“I did.” Mr Jarvis admitted.

“Oh, flipping hell!” Peggy exclaimed.

“I called for help many times. Mr Stark never answered. I-I left countless messages… nothing. So then I panicked and panicked again and put my own particular skills to use…” Mr Jarvis trailed off.

“Oh, for the love of God, man!” Peggy snapped.

“As I said, panic was involved. I thought it would buy us time. We were closing in on the real culprit. I had hoped that with a few more hours we would be able to prove Mr Stark’s innocence and your competence.” Mr Jarvis frowned.

“And when Howard doesn’t land in Teterboro, we shall both disappear.” Peggy whispered, placing a gentle hand on her stomach before letting out a deep breath.

“Disappear?”

“Until our trials, most likely followed by a decidedly severe punishment. Have you ever been hanged, Mr Jarvis?” Peggy asked, rhetorically, removing her hand from her stomach before anyone other than Mr Jarvis saw.

“I can’t say that I have, no.” Mr Jarvis replied, honestly.

“It is quite unpleasant, and that’s just my opinion from observing.” Peggy offered, walking away and leaning on the table as they couldn’t leave the room and she needed to fight the nausea as much as possible. “I could do with going to the bathroom but there’s no one to escort me.”

“You could ask? I know that none of your colleagues are aware of the situation but surely they can’t deny you your right to go to the bathroom.” Mr Jarvis suggested.

“No point.” Peggy replied. “We need to figure out a way to get out of here.”

“I’m sure we could lure on of them in, get the drop on them, steal a weapon and-”

“Get the drop on them? You’ve been in custody all of an hour and you’re Jimmy Cagney.” Peggy laughed to herself. It wasn’t even funny but she had no control over her emotions anymore The baby and the stress were likely to be the cause. They watched Agent Sousa hand a file to Chief Dooley.

“Is there no one here who will listen to reason?” Mr Jarvis checked.

“I believe it’s safe to say I have no friends left at the SSR, not that I ever had any in the first place.” Peggy commented. Then she spotted something. It was Doctor Ivchenko. She turned behind her to grab one of the notebooks from her box and write down what he was saying. Thankfully, she had learnt Morse Code.

“Prepare… for… evacuation.” Mr Jarvis read as she noted down the dots and dashes.

“You know Morse Code?” She asked in surprise.

“Your surprise wounds me.”

“He’s tapping out a timetable. Ninety minutes.” Peggy added.

“What happens in ninety minutes?” Mr Jarvis asked, always slightly slow on the uptake, probably because he was a butler and not an SSR agent.

“Leviathan is coming.” Peggy guessed. She then rushed to the other side of the room and promptly threw up into a trash can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for sticking with me, I know it's been a long time since I last updated but my muse likes to jump from fandom to fandom without warning. I also didn't expect to get the overwhelming love and support on this fic so thank you so much :)
> 
> If anyone has any suggestions for the baby's name or gender then they are very welcome :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to JuSt_AnOth3r_N3rd, AlonTeuriB_Hope, oldmoviewatcher and Bibliophile07
> 
> Chapters should be a bit more regular at the moment, I currently have up to chapter 7 written and am currently working on chapter 8, so fingers crossed! Also, keep the suggestions for gender and baby names coming, I really appreciate them.

“Chief Dooley? Chief Dooley, I’d like to make a confession.” Peggy announced, strolling out of the room.

“I already got the confession I need.” He responded.

“It’s a fake.” She informed them.

“Why are you pulling this, Carter?” Thompson asked.

“Howard Stark isn’t coming. The confession is a phony, the signature a forgery.” She continued.

“Agent Carter…” Dooley began.

“It’s Miss Carter. I don’t work here anymore, but if you want a confession, if you want the truth, I’m ready to give it to you. After I’ve been to the bathroom.” Thompson, Dooley and Sousa shared a look. Sousa escorted her to the bathroom and had to wait outside until she had finished. Dooley and Thompson had already taken Mr Jarvis back into the room they had just left. When they sat down, she started at the beginning.

“Howard came to me for help, we’d been close friends and worked side by side during the war, he knew I could do it so that’s why he asked me to help clear his name. He specifically asked me to find the formula for nitramene, I overheard you lot talking about Spider Raymond and figured that was as good a place to start as any other. I found the nitramene in his safe, but it wasn’t a theory anymore, he’d made it into a bomb so I disarmed it but someone from Leviathan followed me and killed my roommate before attacking me. I confronted Leet Brannis at Roxxon, he told me ‘Leviathan is coming’ before smashing one of the bombs and giving me 30 seconds to escape, causing the refinery to implode. After scanning the employees at Roxxon, I found McFee and confronted Brannis again at his residence, we left with the nitramene but someone else got on the truck and tried to kill us. Brannis was injured by this man and when jumping from the milk truck after a bottle of nitramene was smashed, Mr Jarvis landed on him. He gave us a symbol to explain where the stolen items were. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it. I was at Howard’s residence when you arrested Mr Jarvis and I deliberately took the stolen car report to make you think I was incompetent. We then figured out how someone had snuck into the vault and stolen Howard’s things. Then we found the ship, it had the symbol Mr Brannis had drawn before he’d died. The ship contained all of the stolen items and it killed me. I’d managed to discover all the remaining items from Howard Stark’s vault, and there was nothing I could do about it. But I knew Agent Sousa was working that day. At least he would get the credit. We left the ship moments before you arrived. I didn’t know what was going to happen to Agent Krzeminski...” Peggy trailed off, a tear escaping. Mr Jarvis handed her a tissue and she smiled gratefully at him. Peggy wiped her eyes before continuing. “I could have been more careful. I’m going to have to live with that.”

“And why are you telling us this now?” Chief Dooley replied.

“Because I need your trust if you’re going to believe me about Doctor Ivchenko.” Peggy answered.

“The evil enemy scientist.” Dooley added.

“Yeah, he’s a real killer. You can tell by the way he rubs his nose.” Sousa continued.

“I know what I saw. He was communicating in Morse Code with someone across the street. The southeast corner of the building, at least 10 stories or higher.” Peggy explained. Dooley and Thompson exchanged a look.

“I saw it, too.” Mr Jarvis added.

“Well, as long as you saw it, too…” Thompson commented, sarcastically.

“He was discussing some kind of timetable. We have less than ninety minutes before something’s going to happen. We can’t leave him on his own.” Peggy was really trying to get them to understand, but she got why they didn’t trust her. It didn’t take a genius to figure that out. She was getting choked up again. She was going to go insane if the entire pregnancy was this way. She was a spy, she was an agent and she needed to be able to rely on her emotions staying in check.

“He’s a good man. He’s done nothing but help us.” Dooley replied.

“He has only been here for 48 hours. We don’t know him.” Peggy claimed.

“Maybe not. But we know you.” Sousa stated.

“I’m supposed to believe that you pulled off your own investigation without any of us noticing?” Dooley checked.

“Why would you go through all that trouble instead of coming to one of us?” Sousa added.

“I conducted my own investigation because no one listens to me. I got away with it because no one looks at me, because unless I have your reports, your coffee or your lunch, I’m invisible.” Peggy snapped, going from emotional to pissed off. Sousa and Thompson looked uncomfortable and refused to look her in the eye.

“Forgive me for not getting all pissy-eyed at your tale of woe, but your track record with the truth hasn’t been all that hot. So if all I’ve got to go on is your word…” Dooley began.

“There is one more thing.” Peggy cut him off, getting teary again. She held out the ‘Blitzkrieg Button’ to Chief Dooley. He opened it and took out the vial. “You’ll want to be careful with that.”

“Does this stuff implode, explode? Spice up an old fashioned?” Dooley asked.

“That is the last remaining sample of Captain Steve Rogers’s blood.” Peggy began. Both Sousa and Dooley looked at her in shock, they knew how important Steve had been to Peggy. “Mr Stark was afraid your scientists would squander the remaining samples attempting to re-create the serum.”

“Which they did. So I’m afraid you'll have to forgive him for trying to protect the greatest scientific feat of the 20th Century.” Mr Jarvis added.

“Howard didn’t trust me with it, either. He lied about the contents of the device. He nearly convinced me that I was saving the city by stealing it.” Peggy continued.

“Is that why you kept it? Because he lied?” Sousa checked.

“Maybe at first, or perhaps I didn’t trust our greatest capitalist with such a prize. But I couldn’t bring it here, either. And for that, I don’t have an answer. I suppose I just wanted a second chance at keeping him safe.” Peggy looked at them tearfully as they left the room. She let the tears flow freely once they’d gone. Mr Jarvis gingerly put an arm around her shoulder and offered Peggy another tissue. She accepted it with a huff.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to: oldmoviewatcher, JuSt_AnOth3r_N3rd, Jamie tapia and Bibliophile07
> 
> Also, I just want to say that Peggy and Howard will be having more than one child so this one definitely won't be called Anthony as I plan for him to still be born when he is :) I'm still accepting suggestions for name and gender :)

“Are we really not going to talk about this?” Mr Jarvis asked.

“Not here. I don’t want anyone overhearing our conversation. There are ears everywhere.” Peggy snapped. They were stopped from any further conversation when Dooley came into the room. 

“You two, with me, now.” He ordered.

“What’s happened?” Peggy asked.

“We can’t talk here. There’s ears everywhere.” Dooley replied. Peggy gave Mr Jarvis a pointed look. Chief Dooley led Peggy and Mr Jarvis into the interrogation room before shutting the blind. 

“Have we been compromised? Did they find something across the street?” Peggy asked. Chief Dooley turned around and pointed a gun at her. Peggy couldn’t help but gasp. She held her hands up.

“Stop talking.” He ordered. Dooley handcuffed both her and Mr Jarvis to the table in the interrogation room.

“Chief Dooley! Chief Dooley! Chief Dooley, please. Someone help!” Peggy shouted as he shut the door on her and Mr Jarvis. Peggy knew the sound of someone locking a door so they clearly had some time to kill.

“Please help!” Mr Jarvis shouted. “We’re taken hostage in here.”

“No one’s coming.” Peggy commented.

“I know you may be universally despised in this establishment, but they barely know me.” Mr Jarvis responded before shouting again. “Please help!”

“Mr Jarvis, how would you feel if we smashed that mirror with this table?” Peggy checked. They shared a look.

“I would feel splendid about it.” He smiled.

“All right. We pick it up, and then on the count of three…”

“Battering ram.” Mr Jarvis interrupted. They both rushed to grab the edge of the table, momentarily forgetting that they were handcuffed to said table. It took some manoeuvring but they managed to find an angle that worked, allowing them to lift the table. “Ready?” Peggy nodded.

“One, two…” They said in unison.

“Wait. What if there are people behind this mirror that we’re breaking?” Mr Jarvis asked.

“Then they may get hurt. There will be a spray of glass.” Peggy answered honestly.

“I see.”

“One, two…” They repeated in unison.

“Wait! What if these hypothetical people behind the mirror have guns?” Mr Jarvis asked.

“Then we may get hurt. There will be a spray of bullets.”

“I see.”

“One, two…” They tried again.

“Wait! Should you be lifting a table in your condition?” Mr Jarvis checked.

“If we don’t smash this mirror anytime soon, I’m going to throw up in your face, Mr Jarvis. I’m sure it will be fine.” Peggy smiled tightly.

“One, two, three!” They exclaimed. The table hit the one way mirror and smashed it with ease.

“No people. Everybody wins.” Mr Jarvis smiled.

“I’ve just thought of something.” Peggy commented.

“We’re still attached to a table.” Mr Jarvis pointed out.

“We are still attached to a table.” Peggy agreed. Just then, the door opened and Thompson strolled in.

“What the hell is going on in here?” He asked.

“Where is Chief Dooley?” Peggy demanded.

“His office, probably.” Thompson shrugged.

“Can you let us out? I have a feeling something bad is going to happen.” Peggy requested.

Thompson had to kick the door in as it turned out Chief Dooley had snapped his key in the lock but the main thing was, they got out.

* * *

Chief Dooley was in his office, just like Jack had predicted, but he was wearing a strange vest that was glowing. It easily had to be one of Howard’s inventions, none of them were idiots. The question was; how had Chief Dooley ended up wearing it? Thompson pounded on the door to the office, considering it had been locked. “Chief Dooley!” Peggy called. “Chief!” He seemed to come to as he had been slouched over when they found him.

“You okay?” Thompson asked. The vest he was wearing started flashing and glowing brighter. He came to the door and unlocked it before opening it.

“Oh, my God.” Mr Jarvis breathed. “Very calmly now, everybody stand clear, please. Miss Carter, stand clear. Mr Thompson, stand back, please.”

“He’s gone, isn’t he?” Chief Dooley asked.

“What is that?” Peggy questioned, referring to the vest.

“That is the prototype for a new system of armor.” Mr Jarvis replied.

“How do we get it off him?” Thompson asked.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. Please don’t touch. It was intended to double as a heat source, for use in the winter months on the European front. Locking the armor ignites a self-sustaining battery.” Mr Jarvis explained.

“But there’s always a catch to this stuff, isn’t there?” Thompson commented.

“I’m afraid the energy source is experimental, powerful, and incredibly flawed. It invariably overheats with rather violent results.” Mr Jarvis continued.

“How violent?” Chief Dooley checked.

“Explosive.”

“Get the scientists.” Peggy commanded. Everyone got into action and stood back to the edges of the room, leaving only Peggy, Thompson, Mr Jarvis and a couple of scientists stood near him.

“How you feeling, Chief?” Thompson asked.

“Burning up.” Chief Dooley replied. “He got in my head. He made me steal something from the lab. You can’t let him talk to you. If he starts talking to you, he got you.” Dooley explained.

“These clasps…” One of the scientists began.

“They’re locked, as I said before. It’s what activates the system. Tampering with them trips a circuit to the battery and speeds up the reaction.” Mr Jarvis explained.

“What’s this thing made out of?” The scientist asked.

“It’s an alloy of Mr Stark’s creation.” Mr Jarvis replied.

“Can’t you cut him out of this thing?” Peggy checked.

“I don’t think we have the time.” The scientist commented.

“Tampering with the circuitry-” Mr Jarvis repeated.

“Speeds up the reaction. I got it.” The scientist replied.

“Let’s pack him with ice. Perhaps we can cool the core.” Peggy offered.

“The armor is designed to be impervious to all outside elements, whether it be artillery or temperature.” Mr Jarvis stated.

“Damn you, Howard.” Peggy cried, tears springing to her eyes as she was overcome with nausea. But she couldn’t show that in the face of all of her former colleagues. She had to act like there was nothing wrong.

“My God, it’s searing his skin.” The scientist commented.

“It’s in the final stages. We’re running out of time.” Mr Jarvis added.

“I don’t know what to do.” The scientist admitted.

“What does that mean?” Thompson snapped.

“It means that… I don’t know what to do.” He repeated. Everyone glanced around each other.

“I know what to do.” Chief Dooley said, calmly. “Here, give me a hand. Give me a hand.” He spoke to Agent Thompson, who helped him stand up when Chief Dooley took Thompson’s gun from him.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” Thompson exclaimed. Chief Dooley struggled to stand, but moved himself away from everyone.

“Tell… Tell my wife…” Dooley paused, his breathing shaky. “Tell her I’m sorry I missed dinner.” He turned away from Thompson to look at Peggy. “And you… Promise me you’ll get the son of a bitch who did this.” Peggy nodded. “Say it!” Chief Dooley demanded.

“We’ll catch them.” Peggy assured, tears falling freely.

“Attagirl.” Chief Dooley smiled gently. Chief Dooley ran towards the window, shooting it as he went.

“Chief!” Peggy exclaimed.

“Chief, don’t!” Thompson added. Chief Dooley jumped out of the window as the entirety of the SSR on that floor ran after him. The vest exploded as he made it out of the window. Shattering every window on their floor and sending glass flying in. Peggy ducked behind a table, shielding her stomach as Mr Jarvis tried to push her behind him.

* * *

When the debris had settled, the SSR agents got to work patching each other up and trying to begin clean up. Peggy ran into the bathroom to throw up, the entire day had been too much for her and it was far from over yet. After finishing in the bathroom, Peggy sat on a desk with Mr Jarvis standing in front of her. “I did this. Ivchenko brought me to him so that I would bring him to the SSR. This is my fault.” Peggy stated. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sousa return and talk to Thompson.

“No, Miss Carter. This is not your fault. This is Mr Stark’s bloody inventions.” Mr Jarvis growled.

“You’re right. Leviathan tasked Leet Brannis to steal something. What was it?” She asked herself, looking at Thompson. “The blood.” They all ran to the lab. She opened the sphere containing the vial but it was still there. They all breathed a sigh of relief. “We need to find out what Ivchenko took.”

“Search every crate.” Sousa ordered.

“Item 17. It’s gone.” One of the scientists declared.

“All right. What’s that do?” Thompson asked, turning to Mr Jarvis.

“I have no idea.” He whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all the love on this fic. I would like to dedicate this chapter to: oldmoviewatcher, JuSt_AnOth3r_N3rd, Jamie tapia, Bibliophile07 and AlonTeuriB_Hope

Unfortunately, there was no time to dwell on what could have been in that crate because they got a call, requesting they go to a local movie theatre and the circumstances were strange. Even by SSR standards. 

“You’re the SSR folks?” A detective greeted Peggy, Thompson and Sousa as they arrived at the doors.

“What the hell happened here, detective?” Thompson asked.

“Hell if I know. I got 47 dead, heads bashed in, eyes gouged out. Not a single survivor.” He offered, turning around and leading them into the building.

“Good lord.” Peggy breathed, seeing all of the bodies laid out in the foyer, they were covered by white sheets but the sheer amount of them overwhelmed her.

“It’s like some kind of monster got in. Never seen anything like it.” The detective added.

“All this happened inside the theatre?” Sousa checked.

“This way.” The detective pointed and led Agent Sousa away. There were policemen with cameras everywhere, pulling back the sheets to take photos of the dead. Peggy and Thompson went their separate ways when looking at the bodies, Peggy just couldn’t believe her eyes. The man she was looking at had teeth marks in his shoulder, a proper bite that had broken the skin and bled quite a lot. There were deep cuts on his face, probably scratches. And he was clutching a handful of hair.

“No monster killed these people.” She told Thompson. “They killed each other.” It was a startling realisation, one that left Peggy needing to run to the ladies and throw up again, although she knew it was morning sickness, and nothing else. She’d always had a strong stomach, nothing usually affected her so there was no other plausible explanation.

“Is everything okay? You’ve been to the bathroom many times today?” Thompson asked. Peggy assumed he was trying to show concern.

“I’m fine.” She brushed him off. They had bigger things to deal with right now than the fact that she was expecting. Besides, she’d probably be kicked out of the SSR if they found out she was in this state whilst unmarried. They headed to the theatre the people had been in when they heard coughing, Sousa was kneeling on the floor, hands to his throat and it sounded more like he was choking than coughing.

“Sousa! Sousa!” Jack exclaimed, running over to him. “Hey. Hey. What happened?” The next thing Peggy knew, Sousa had grabbed Jack by the lapels and tugged him onto the floor, wrapping his hands around Thompson’s throat.

“Daniel!” Peggy shouted, trying to get his attention. She got punched in the face for her troubles. A policeman hit Sousa over the head with a baton and knocked him out. Jack sat back and grabbed his throat. Peggy and Thompson shared a shocked look. “Are you okay?” Peggy asked.

“I’ve been better.” Jack replied. “What about you?”

“I’m okay.” She smiled. A little bit shaken up, but Thompson didn’t need to know that.

* * *

They got back to the SSR as quickly as they could considering they had an unconscious Agent Sousa with them. Upon getting him to medical, they had to strap him to the bed just in case he tried to attack anyone when he woke up. Peggy waited in the room with him whilst Thompson carried on working. Daniel finally came to, a couple of hours later, once again coughing violently. “Carter, what the hell is going on?” Daniel asked.

“I was about to ask you the same thing. How are you feeling?” She responded.

“Like I swallowed a bag of shrapnel.” He replied, laying down a bit. He struggled against the restraints. “What’s with this?”

“Do you remember anything that happened inside the movie theatre?” Peggy asked.

“There was, uh, some kind of gas.” He struggled.

“You found the canister, and you attacked Agent Thompson.” Peggy informed him. Daniel sighed heavily, leaning back against the pillows.

“I wanted to kill him. I wanted to kill everybody. Oh, God, Peggy. I… I hit you. I’m so sorry.” He panicked.

“You weren’t yourself. How are you now?”

“I still want to kill Thompson, but no more than usual.” Daniel chuckled. Peggy couldn’t help but join in. After deeming Agent Daniel Sousa as no more of a threat than usual, Peggy undid the restraints and allowed him the privacy to get redressed. They returned to the main floor of the SSR where Thompson was talking to the other agents about the gas in the canisters.

“Hey, killer.” He smirked, looking at Agent Sousa.

“I’m surprised Howard would consent to manufacturing something like that.” Peggy commented.

“The amount that got me was tiny. How much of this stuff does Ivchenko have?” Daniel asked.

“The lab counted 10 canisters. Meaning Ivchenko has enough to send half the city into a homicidal rage.” Thompson explained.

“But why? Why go to all that trouble?” Peggy mused.

“Because he’s a Russian jerk with a chip on his shoulder. Why else?” Thompson offered.

“No. It’s got to be something more than that. Ivchenko has a plan. He brought us into Russia. He tricked us into bringing him into this country. There’s something specific that he is targeting. We just have to find out what it is.” Peggy replied.

“The target is me.” Howard announced, waltzing into the room with Mr Jarvis at his side.

“Hey!” Thompson exclaimed. Everyone except Peggy drew their guns and pointed them at Howard. “Get your hands up. Get your hands up!” Mr Jarvis immediately raised his arms whilst Howard kept his stuffed in his pockets.

“Told you.” Mr Jarvis muttered.

“What kind of welcome is this?” Howard remarked.

“How the hell did you get in here?” Daniel asked.

“You know who designed the SSR security system?” Howard asked.

“Yeah, the same outfit that secures the White House.” Daniel replied.

“Exactly. They stink. You should have hired me.” Howard commented. Peggy couldn’t help but smirk. “I know. You missed me.” He winked at Peggy who rolled her eyes. Honestly, she had missed him.

“Do you want me to punch you again?” She smiled, allowing Howard to pull her into a hug. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as his found their way to her waist.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I would like to dedicate this chapter to: oldmoviewatcher, JuSt_AnOth3r_N3rd, Jamie tapia, Bibliophile07 and AlonTeuriB_Hope

Jack and Daniel led Howard into the room where Peggy and Mr Jarvis had been kept during their arrest. Peggy had no idea what they were saying to him, but she really hoped he wouldn’t actually get arrested, they may have started as friends, but she had come to care deeply for Howard. Mr Jarvis led her outside for some fresh air. “I believe we have some things to talk about, Mr Jarvis.” She stated.

“We do?” he asked.

“How about you start with how you know about my situation?” She asked.

“Please don’t be angry with him, but Mr Stark told me about the night you’d spent together. It was the happiest I’d ever seen him and he was crushed that you kicked him out. I agree with you completely and he definitely deserved it, but he was disappointed.” Mr Jarvis explained.

“That still doesn’t explain how you know.”

“Your symptoms, mainly. I didn’t actually know for certain, I made an educated guess which you confirmed for me when I told you I knew for definite. I didn’t actually know, but I was pretty certain.” Mr Jarvis replied. Peggy couldn’t help but smile. Mr Jarvis was always full of surprises. 

“We had better get buck in there, I dread to think what Howard is saying. He always managed to put his foot in it so I don’t imagine today will be any different.” Peggy smiled.

~

“As of this moment, you’re under arrest, Stark.” Jack announced as she entered the room. Daniel limped over to him.

“You know, I could help you with that.” Howard offered. Jack smacked the table in front of Howard and got in his face.

“Roger Dooley is dead. Ray Krzeminski is dead.” Jack practically yelled.

“Along with a theatre full of innocent people. Stark Industries. That’s all on you. You got something funny to say about that?” Daniel checked.

“I know.” Howard practically growled. “That’s why I came back.” He looked at Peggy, needing her to understand his side, his point of view. He wished more than anything that she wasn’t currently in the room but there was nothing more he could do. She was too damn curious for her own good. He looked back to Jack and Daniel, who were standing over him. “That’s everything there is to know about the Battle of Finow.”

“I really don’t care about some old war story.” Thompson stated.

“Well, you should. Because all those deaths are on me, too.” Howard sighed before standing up. “The gas is called midnight oil.”

“You designed a poison gas, Howard?” Peggy asked in disgust.

“No!” Howard exclaimed, moving around the table to where Peggy was standing. “Well, not intentionally.” He then reached for the box in the middle of the table. “The army wanted something that would keep soldiers awake for days at a time, but it failed. It caused symptoms similar to sleep deprivation. Anger, hallucinations, psychosis.”

“If you knew all that, why use it in Finow?” Daniel asked as Peggy and Jack started looking through the files.

“I didn’t. My lab was raided. They took my samples, my research, all on the orders of General McGinnis. The next day, they dropped it on the Russians to help them take Finow. I flew there afterward to see with my own eyes. What those men did to each other, you can’t imagine.” Howard responded.

“We don’t need to imagine. We saw it in that theatre. I experienced it myself.” Daniel added.

“And you survived?” Howard asked. Daniel gave a shrug that said obviously, considering he was standing there talking to Howard. “It’s been known to cause asphyxiation.”

“Guess that explains my sore throat.” Daniel snarked.

“It also explains our voiceless friends. Someone performed laryngotomy procedures on these men. I expect it was Doctor Ivchenko or, as he’s also known, Johann Fennhoff.” Peggy explained.

“Who?” Howard asked.

“A psychiatrist with a speciality in hypnosis.” Peggy added.

“Must be how they got to Dooley.” Jack commented.

“And if he can control the Chief, we’re all at risk.” Peggy continued.

“No. This time, I’m taking the risk. This Fennhoff obviously wants to punish me, so let’s give him what he wants.” Howard stated.

“What are you talking about?” Peggy checked.

“I’ll be the bait. The SSR just needs to set the trap.” Howard offered.

“Yeah. Something public. Real showy.” Jack agreed.

“Well, that’s the only way I do it.” Howard smirked, looking at Peggy. She fought the urge to roll her eyes.

* * *

“Please don’t do this.” Peggy stated once it was just her and Howard.

“But it’s the best plan we’ve got. It’s the only plan we’ve got.” Howard replied. “So, did you actually miss me?” Howard asked, sounding unsure of himself. This was new for Peggy. She moved to sit on the table.

“Of course I did, Howard. How could I not? My friends are all I have left now. And I’m not sure now but Chief Dooley fired me, so potentially I’m out of a job.” She rambled.

“Why did he fire you?” 

“Because he found out I was trying to clear your name!” She exclaimed.

“I thought you were careful?”

“Not careful enough.” She remarked, knowing Howard didn’t yet know the double meaning to her words.

“I really missed you, Peg, you know.” Howard stated, reaching out a hand to grab one of Peggy’s. She let him.

“How could I possibly know that if you hadn’t told me?”

“You know that… what we have is different.” Howard began.

“What we have? I wasn’t aware that we had anything more than friendship, Howard.” Peggy commented. Howard’s face fell.

“The last time I saw you-” 

“Please can we talk about this later? If you survive, I promise we can talk about this. I’ll even be agreeable.” Peggy offered. Howard's lips turned up into a slight smile and he nodded. Mr Jarvis then entered the room with a mirror and a pair of scissors so Howard could trim his moustache. Peggy nipped out of the room to get something before coming back. 

“Hey, Peg, you got any powder? I want to cut down the shine.” He asked, gesturing to his face.

“I don’t like this, Howard. It’s too dangerous.” She stated.

“Peg.” Howard breathed. Mr Jarvis gave her a pointed look, she shook her head and he looked exasperated.

“Don’t waste your breath, Miss Carter. I’ve already wasted mine on the subject.” Mr Jarvis commented.

“What is that?” Howard asked.

“It’s body armor for your protection.” Peggy replied. Howard lifted it up slightly before letting it fall back to the table.

“It’s junk. Where’s my stuff?” Howard responded. Peggy led him into the lab. “What are you people doing? These are highly volatile materials.” Howard went around the room picking things up and moving them around. “This… This is photosensitive. This should be kept in the dark. This… This should be kept cool. And this.” He picked something up and changed the way it was laid on the workbench. “This is fine now.”

“Howard, what are you hoping to accomplish with this ridiculous press conference? There are other ways to get Fennhoff into the open.” Peggy offered.

“Name one. No, name three.” Howard requested. Then he spotted what he was looking for. “There it is.” He held up a vest. “Stops a 50-cal round from 100 feet.”

“Unless you plan to put it on your head, it won’t be enough.” Peggy replied.

“I trust you to keep me safe.”

“You’re punishing yourself.” Peggy stated.

“I’m redeeming myself.”

“I have enough blood on my hands. I don’t need yours, as well. Not not, not with everything.” 

“I’ve had to go through my life not caring what people think of me, but I do care what you think. After everything you said to me last time-”

“Howard, I was angry. That doesn’t mean I want you to die. I’ve lost enough, please don’t make me lose you too.” She pleased.

“Well, that makes two of us. But you know and I know that this is my fault.” Howard responded. Peggy sighed deeply.

“General McGinnis stole midnight oil and used it recklessly. He is at fault. Can you not see that?” Peggy requested.

“I need to fix this. Otherwise I won’t be able to live with myself.” Howard practically whispered.

“You’re mad.” Peggy smiled.

“As a hatter.” Howard smirked. She scoffed, pulling him into a tight hug before leaving the lab.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I would like to dedicate this chapter to: oldmoviewatcher, JuSt_AnOth3r_N3rd, Jamie tapia and AlonTeuriB_Hope

“After a thorough investigation, we have concluded that Howard Stark is innocent of the theft and sale of weapons to foreign enemies. All charges against Mr Stark have been dropped. We owe Mr Stark a tremendous debt of gratitude, and his assistance in our current investigation is invaluable. He is… a hero for all Americans.” Thompson explained into the microphone. Peggy couldn’t help but continuously look around, something didn’t feel right in her gut, and that wasn’t just the morning sickness and the fact that she needed to pee. Even though she’d gone to the bathroom less than 10 minutes ago.

“Are the rooftops covered, Agent Comden?” She checked.

“All clear.” Came the reply. Peggy tuned out what was being said, she couldn’t shake the feeling.

“They’re here somewhere. I know it.” Peggy stated. No sooner had Jack handed the podium over to Howard, there was a gunshot from somewhere. Peggy had to fight the urge to be sick and spring into action.

“Who’s got eyes on the shooter?” Jack requested.

“It’s coming from above.” Daniel commented. Peggy watched Jack say something to Howard and Mr Jarvis, who quickly made a run for it. It was chaos, there was still gunfire, people were running around screaming, there was no other way to describe the scene than chaos. Peggy knew that really, she shouldn’t be doing this. She was expecting and all of this stress and action wasn’t good for her or the baby.

“They’re shooting from the hotel.” She informed everyone after watching for several moments. She made a dash for it at the same time as Jack and they entered the room together.

“Where are they?” Jack asked after they couldn’t find anyone. But Peggy had already spotted the gun at the window.

“This rifle was rigged to fire itself. They’re long gone.” Peggy replied. Then she looked through the gun’s sight. “Strange.”

“What’s that?”

“Either Dottie’s a terrible shot, or this gun was never supposed to kill Howard. It’s aimed well above the podium. It was a diversion.” Peggy assumed.

“Diversion from what?” Jack asked.

“All agents, Stark’s been grabbed.” Daniel’s voice came over the walkie talkies. “APD is being issued. He’s in a police car heading west.”

“Oh.” Peggy sighed, rolling her eyes. It was all she could do not to be sick. And it didn’t work, she went to rush out of the door and follow Jack, only to run back into the bathroom in that hotel room to empty the contents of her stomach. 

“Are you ill?” Jack asked, appearing at the door.

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Now please, can we go and find Howard?” Peggy responded. Jack nodded and they ran out of the room again. He could bring this up again later, someone's life was on the line. If Peggy said she was fine then he would believe her.

“So, now we got to tell the whole world we’re chumps. They’ve been planning this thing since the beginning.” Jack commented.

“No, they couldn’t have. Could they?” Peggy checked. “Kidnapping Howard couldn’t have been part of their original plan. They didn’t know he was here until the press conference.”

“If they don’t want him dead, what do they want?” Jack questioned as they crossed the street.

“Howard said Fennhoff wants to punish him. Whatever they’ve planned, it must be a fate worse than death. We need to determine what his next target is.”

“The movie house was a test. So they got to be planning something bigger. Statue of Liberty? Empire State?” Jack rambled as Peggy looked around and noticed people carrying flags. How could she have forgotten?

“What day is it?” She checked.

“May 8th.” Jack replied. Then it clicked. “VE Day.”

“They’re going to hit Times Square.” Peggy agreed as Jack ran off. She followed.

~

“Guy at the coffee shop saw a blonde forcing a man matching Stark’s description into the back of a black Sedan. They were last seen heading west towards Lincoln Tunnel. I radioed their descriptions to Port Authority. See if we can snag them at the tolls.” Daniel explained once Peggy and Jack joined him. Although Jack had wandered off again.

“They’re trying to leave the city. Why?” Peggy asked.

“Maybe we were wrong about the target.” Daniel offered.

“Just talked to every muckety-muck in the city, trying to call off the VE Day celebration. They won’t do it. Already one hundred thousand people packed into Times Square. We won’t have enough time to evacuate.” Jack explained, returning to the group.

“He could have stashed those canisters anywhere.” Daniel pointed out.

“The gas was designed to be deployed by air.” Peggy commented.

“Which is why we shut down all the airports.” Jack replied.

“And every private airfield in the area.” Daniel added.

“I think I know where Doctor Fennhoff is headed.” Mr Jarvis announced.

“Where?” Peggy asked as Jack and Daniel also turned to look at Mr Jarvis.

“If his intention is to place blame for the attack on Mr Stark, would it not be most effective to use one of Mr Stark’s own planes?” Mr Jarvis asked.

“He can’t. We confiscated them all.” Jack responded.

“Not all.” Mr Jarvis whispered.

“Hmm?” Jack queried.

“There is another vault. Considerably larger than the first.” Mr Jarvis admitted.

“You’re kidding.” Jack commented.

“Howard doesn’t do things by halves.” Peggy added.

* * *

They set off for the airfield in different cars, Peggy was with Mr Jarvis, who was leading Jack and Daniel in the second car. Howard would probably need to see a doctor after this, and Peggy certainly needed to talk to him. “Did you tell Mr Stark about the baby?” He asked.

“Not yet, I’m kind of waiting for the right time. Hopefully, as soon as this is over, we can have a talk about the baby and where it leaves us.” Peggy replied, placing a hand over her stomach in comfort.

“Why didn’t you tell him earlier? When you were alone?” Mr Jarvis questioned.

“Because it wasn’t the right time. I’d rather tell him after his life has been in danger and he’s okay than worry him unnecessarily before he puts his life in danger.” Peggy tried to explain. “Especially now he’s been kidnapped, it’s not something he can let slip to Doctor Fennhoff or Dottie. I dread to think what they would do if they knew I was expecting his baby. Leak it to the media for a start, kill me and the baby, steal the baby and raise it to be a killer. The list is endless, Mr Jarvis.” Peggy pointed out.

“Fair enough.” Mr Jarvis commented as they turned up the road to the airfield. Peggy rubbed her stomach and let out a deep sigh. The day was bound to get worse before it got better.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to dedicate this chapter to: oldmoviewatcher, JuSt_AnOth3r_N3rd, Jamie tapia and AlonTeuriB_Hope

They were too late, they got to the airfield just as Howard was taking off. “HOWARD!” Peggy screamed, despite knowing it would be no use. A) He was unlikely to hear her, and B) Doctor Fennhoff would have him under hypnosis. She stood frozen for a moment before springing into action and rushing back to the car. She got out a rifle and handed it to Jack. “How long until he reaches New York?” She checked.

“Twelve minutes, maybe less.” Daniel offered.

“Maybe we could talk him down.” Jack suggested.

“You think he’d listen?” Daniel said.

“Chief did.” Jack pointed out. Peggy got out a gun for herself before slamming the trunk of the car shut.

“Radio room?” She asked Mr Jarvis.

“Second floor of the hangar. But are you sure you should be doing this?” He replied.

“We need to stop them. If I don’t, who will?” Peggy stated.

“I’m just asking you to think about what you’re putting at risk.” Mr Jarvis commented.

“What is he talking about?” Daniel asked.

“I would also like to know that. Especially after what happened earlier.” Jack added.

“Later. I need someone to take one of those planes up.” She responded.

“Why?” Jack checked.

“Shoot him down with a plane full of poisonous gas?” Daniel asked.

“You’d have to do it over the water, before he reaches land.” Jack added.

“Geez. Well, I’m not your guy. I’ve never flown a plane before.” Daniel rejected the responsibility.

“Likewise.” Jack said.

“I have.” Mr Jarvis whispered.

“Mr Jarvis, I cannot ask this of you.” Peggy frowned, tearing up.

“Mr Stark would want to be stopped by any means possible. We have little time.” Mr Jarvis responded. He pulled Peggy into a hug. “Besides, it can hardly be asked of you.”

“He doesn’t even know yet.” She sniffled.

“I know, so we’d better do everything we possibly can to make sure you don’t lose him.” Mr Jarvis replied.

“Help him get off the ground.” Peggy instructed to a very confused Jack and Daniel. She went upstairs, ever so carefully. She could hear indistinct talking from the radio room. She knew Doctor Fennhoff had Howard under hypnosis, but it still hurt to hear it. “Hand up.” She ordered. Both Doctor Fennhoff and Dottie put their hands up, although Dottie reached one of hers inside her jacket. “Ah, ah, ah, ah. Lose the gun.” Dottie threw the gun to the other side of the room. “Move away from the radio. Slowly.” Doctor Ivchenko moved, still keeping his hands up. Dottie turned around.

“Peggy, it’s so swell to see you.” She smiled. She kicked Peggy’s gun as Peggy fired a shot. Dottie then kicked her in the stomach and back flipped away. Peggy ran to her and threw a punch that Dottie managed to deflect before ducking as Peggy aimed another punch at her. Dottie stood up and grabbed Peggy by the neck, throwing her into the wall. “Isn’t this fun?” Dottie smiled and Peggy looked at her from the ground. Dottie pulled out a knife once Peggy had got to her feet. All Peggy could think about was the life growing inside of her and how she had to protect it at all costs, even if she never got Howard back, she needed to keep this baby alive. She grabbed a bit of ripped fabric, probably the curtains near where she had landed, her brain was on autopilot, fighting for her life and the life of the baby. Dottie came at her, knife extended but Peggy wrapped the fabric about her arms and deflected it, elbowing Dottie on the face as she dropped the knife before wrapping the fabric around Dottie’s neck. As she was fighting Dottie, she noticed Doctor Fennhoff go back to the radio, she ran over.

“Howard! Howard, it isn’t real!” She exclaimed. Dottie grabbed her and pulled her away, throwing her onto a table and smashing the vase on it. She grabbed a baseball bat off the wall.

“Go.” Dottie instructed to Doctor Fennhoff, who immediately fled the room. “I used to be so jealous of girls like you.” Dottie approached Peggy as the brunette scrambled backwards. The last thing she was going to tell Dottie was the baby, she’d die before revealing that secret no matter how much she wanted to get Dottie to back off. Dottie would kill her and the baby just to spite Howard. “I would have done anything to walk like you, to talk like you. But now… I can be anybody I want.” Dottie swung the bat at Peggy who ducked the first swing and managed to catch the second one before it hit her in the stomach. They both held onto the bat, trying to hit and kick each other. Dottie managed to take the bat from Peggy and hit her in the back with it, sending Peggy sprawling to the floor. “Oh, I’ve got a great idea.” Dottie continued as she hit Peggy again. “Maybe I’ll be an SSR agent next. What do you think of that?” Dottie asked. Peggy pulled herself off the floor and sat on a sofa, panting. She was in a lot of pain and knew that she would be at risk of losing the baby if she didn’t take it carefully over the next week or so. Dottie stood over her. “I thought you’d be better.” She added.

Peggy then jumped up and kicked at her, Dottie swung the bat and managed to smash a window. Howard would not be happy when he saw the state of the hangar, that was for sure. Peggy spun around and kicked out at Dottie, sending her falling out of the window to crash onto the wing of a plane down below. Peggy looked out of the window and she could see that Dottie was motionless, a puddle of blood was forming under her head. She would go and check on the body, of course, she didn’t want to assume that Dottie was dead without checking first. But right now, the most important thing was getting Howard back before he deployed the gas. “Fennhoff’s escaped the radio room.” She alerted Jack and Daniel.

“We’ll get him. You focus on Stark.” Jack replied. Peggy sat down in the chair Fennhoff had vacated and placed a hand on her stomach. She was very concerned about the baby but that would have to wait.


	10. Chapter 10

“Dropping to 2,000 feet.” Howard stated as she sat down.

“Howard, it’s Peggy.”

“Peg! I found his signal! I’m almost there.” Howard replied. Peggy’s heart broke, poor Howard. Why had Fennhoff done this to him?

“No, you must listen to me.”

“I’m gonna bring him home, Peg.” Howard continued.

“Fennhoff has put this fantasy in your mind. He’s trying to get you to deploy the gas over civilians.” Peggy warned.

“Don’t worry about that, Peg. There are no civilians where I am.” Howard replied. Peggy sighed deeply, rubbing her hand gently over the small bump. To be honest, she was quite surprised no one had noticed yet.

“Howard, can you hear me? You must come back.” Peggy requested.

“I know this sounds crazy, but that… that guy, Fennhoff, he actually helped me. He… He showed me how to do this. I’m bringing Cap back, Peg.”

“Howard, turn the plane around. Come back and we’ll talk about it.” Peggy offered.

“I can’t do that. Done talking.”

“No… No… Wait.” Peggy stuttered.

“Miss Carter?” Mr Jarvis’s voice came over the comms. “Miss Carter, I have Mr Stark’s plane in my sights. We are one mile from land. Miss Carter, should I take the shot? Miss Carter!” Peggy felt like she couldn’t breathe. She leaned to the side of the chair and threw up on the floor, there were tears streaming down her cheeks by now, this was all too much for her. “Miss Carter! Can you hear me?! Miss Carter! Please! Answer me!” Mr Jarvis continued.

“No, I need more time.”

“We don’t have more time!” Mr Jarvis shouted.

“Do not take the shot until I tell you, Mr Jarvis!” She replied before switching to the other comm. “Howard. Howard, Steve is gone. He died over a year ago.” She was gentle with Howard.

“There’s something up ahead. It’s him! I can fix this!” Howard insisted.

“You don’t have to fix anything.”

“Peg, all I’ve done my whole life is create destruction. Project Rebirth was… He was the one thing I’ve done… that brought good into this world.” Howard said, gently.

“Howard…” Peggy trailed off momentarily, voice breaking. “I know you loved him. I loved him, too. But this won’t bring him back. Howard, you are the one person on this Earth who believes in me. I cannot lose you. Steve is gone. We have to move on… All of us. As impossible as that may sound, we have to let him go. And you’ve done more good than just Steve. Please, don’t make me lose you now, not when we’re going to have a baby.” She sobbed. She was about to return to Mr Jarvis when the comm crackled.

“Peg? He was good before I got ahold of him, huh?”

“Yes. Yes, he w… He was.” She sighed. “Where are you?”

“Evidently, flying a plane… to Manhattan. I guess you can explain that to me once I land.” He chuckled. “And the whole ‘we’re going to have a baby’ thing, too.” Peggy giggled wetly as she wiped at her eyes. She moved away from Howard’s comm to return to Mr Jarvis. 

“Mr Jarvis, he’s all right. Stand down.” Peggy smiled.

“Thank goodness. Tell Mr Stark to follow me back. I’ll bring him home.” Mr Jarvis replied. Peggy sighed deeply. She looked to her stomach.

“I’m glad we’re not getting rid of him that easily.” She commented. 

She got up and left the radio room after grabbing her rifle, heading down to where Dottie had fallen, only there was no sight of her. There was still a puddle of blood but clearly it hadn’t been enough to kill Dottie, maybe stunned her momentarily but clearly not killed her. Peggy met up with Jack and Daniel who had gagged Doctor Fennhoff and were leading him out of the hangar. “We’ll take him back with us, you stay here and wait for Stark and Jarvis to return.” Jack ordered. Peggy nodded her agreement and watched them stuff Fennhoff into the car.

“They’re here now.” She smiled, watching the two of them walk over.

“You were gonna shoot me out of the sky?” Peggy heard Howard ask.

“I thought that was what you would have wanted.” Mr Jarvis replied.

“No! No, it’s not. And for future reference, under no circumstance would I want anyone to shoot or otherwise hurt me. You got that?”

“Your point is amply made, sir.” Mr Jarvis nodded.

“Aw! You’re all right, Jarvis.” Howard said, wrapping his arms around his butler who stood there looking shocked.

“As are you, sir.” He replied. Peggy smiled at them both.

“I owe you another one, pal.” Howard said, turning to Peggy.

“To be honest, I’ve stopped counting, Howard.” Peggy snarked. She wrapped an arm around him and allowed herself to be pulled into a kiss. Mr Jarvis stood there awkwardly, not looking at the pair.

“What are we gonna do about this guy?” Howard asked, indicating to Fennhoff who was sitting, still gagged in the back of Jack and Daniel’s car.

“I suggest we put him in the trunk until we can find a permanent way of preventing him from speaking.” Peggy offered.

“What about Miss Underwood?” Mr Jarvis pointed out.

“I’m afraid Dottie escaped. I’d wager we haven’t seen the last of her.” Peggy replied. Howard started laughing.

“Ida.” He laughed. “That’s her name. I knew I’d remember. Steel trap.” He gestured to his head. Peggy rolled her eyes at him. Mr Jarvis couldn’t help but laugh, too.

“Where to?” He asked, looking between Howard and Peggy. 

“Don’t look at me, I lost my apartment in all of this fuss.” Peggy replied.

“Take us to the usual place, please.” Howard requested, getting into the back of the car with Peggy.

“Of course, sir. Is that okay with you, Miss Carter?” Mr Jarvis checked. Peggy smiled and nodded as they set off. Howard took her hand in his. Peggy couldn’t help but smile, things might not have been easy in trying to clear Howard’s name, but she was glad she had done it and that she was going to be exploring this new chapter with him. Life was never going to be the same, that’s for sure.


End file.
